The Sacraments! Where He Lived

    I am reading a book called "The Sacraments" by Fr. Matthew Kauth and let me tell you it is opening my eyes to lots of things probably every other Catholic knew but me.  But in case you don't know  I'll be sharing some thoughts on his book. 
   One of the first things Fr. Kauth shares is about his visit to the House of Loreto which exists in Italy. Now I knew about the House of Loreto where Mary lived and Jesus grew up. Originally it wasn't in Italy, it was of course in Nazareth, but in the 13th century in order to protect the house from vandals overtaking the country, the story goes that angels picked up the house and brought it to Italy.
The House of Loreto.
    But Fr. Kauth had first visited the house in Italy during a trip  he read the words 'Et Verbum caro factum est',  "And the Word became flesh", written above the altar in shrine.   But what he was not expecting to see was also the word, "hic" which means here.  The Word became flesh here.
    It struck him how glorious was it he could see the very stones that Jesus, Mary and Joseph had actually touched and lived within.  And also it struck me that way being a 'bearer' of family history when I run across an artifact in our family that one of my ancestors had actually touched!  I cannot even imagine what it would be like to see the very stones that Jesus had touched!
    I know of people who have gone on pilgrimages to the Holy Land that speak the same way about the paths and stones in Jerusalem realizing they were the very stones Jesus walked upon! 
    Fr. Kauth puts it in wonderful words:  "I remained wrapped in silent wonder, but the very stones began to cry out in my interior: "We were there! It happened in our midst and in our walls. We covered this mystery silent as stone and protected it. We stones witnessed the divine babe return from Egypt. We sheltered him from wind and rain. Here he played. Here he laughed. Here he loved."
    How very beautiful is was for him to recognize that! 
   Sometimes we have to stop in our rushing along the river of our lives, stop while picking up the kids, working at our jobs, making supper, doing laundry, stop before we get up the next day and do it all again.  Stop!  Realize there are things on this earth Jesus has touched. He was real! History records His existence!  And He was here FOR US!
  The whole point of Fr. Kauth's book is for us to realize the Sacraments in our lives are helping us be like Jesus who is God.  God wants us to be like Him!
    It is through the Sacraments that this can happen but we have to realize it, take it in. We have to stop along the journey of our fast paced lives and realize what is happening!  God loves us, God wants us, He had lived here on this very earth just like we are.  "Open my eyes, Lord so I may see this glorious plan you have had for my life and most of all, help me to TRUST in the plan!"

"The Sacraments, Discovering the Treasures of Divine Life" Fr. Matthew Kauth
 2018 St. Benedict Press